South Korea · 5th century
Gongsanseong ranks #3,633 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #11 of the 57 mapped in South Korea. Founded 475, it is older than 97% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 37 atlas entries founded in the 5th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,501 times in the last 60 days, more than 62% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Cheongju, 38 km away. See how South Korea compares in the castle statistics.
Gongsanseong (Korean: 공산성; Hanja: 公山城) is a castle in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea.
Gongsanseong was initially known as Ungjinseong and subsequently as Gongsanseong during the reign of the Goryeo Dynasty. It occupies an area of 20 hectares (49 acres), presently in the Geumseong-dong and Sanseong-dong districts. It was unearthed during the archaeological excavations done after 1980s, when the constriction methods in building the forts's rampart, the royal palace, and the associated structures of the royal palace were revealed. The fort is located atop the Gongsan mountain (elevation 110 metres (360 ft)) and extends over a length of 2,666 metres (8,747 ft), with its stone wall in 1,925 metres (6,316 ft) length and the balance 735 metres (2,411 ft) made of earth.
It was built as a defense fortification adapted to the local topography by linking mountain peaks and bridging the valleys. Following the collapse of the Baekje empire, the ramparts were rebuilt fully as stone walls. The fortress has been illuminated. It functioned both as a defense structure and a royal palace.
Text adapted from “Gongsanseong” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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